Crimping tool



May 14, 1963 w. .1. HARADEN 3,089,366

CRIMPING TOOL Filed July 11. 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

MMAZ M A TTORNE Y5 May 14, 1963 w. J. HARADEN 3,089,365

CRIMPING TOOL Filed July 11, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR;

A T TOR/YE KS- May 14, 1963 Filed July 11, 1960 W. J. HARADEN CRIMPINGTOOL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ]NVENTOR.

A TTURNEKS' 3,089,366 CRIMPING TOOL William J. Haraden, Mount Prospect,Ill., assignor to Signode Steel Strapping Company, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Delaware Filed July 11, 1960, Ser. No. 41,830 7 Claims.(CI. 81-91) The present invention relates to crimping tools in which thecrimping jaws are mounted between a pair of side plates with operatinghandles including a movable operating handle and particularly relates tonew and improved structures for insuring that the crimping jaws arepivoted into their fully closed crimping position before the movableoperating handle can be oppositely moved to open the jaws and therebyrelease the crimping tool from the work.

Crimping tools of the type under consideration are well known for thecrimping of overlapped strap ends, which may be surrounded by a seal,for the purpose of sealing the strap ends together.

In accordance with the present invention, a full jawclosing crimpingstroke is insured. Devices embodying the present invention requirecompletion of the crimping stroke once it is begun in order to free thejaws from the strap and seal, by a structural combination in which themovable operating handle participates in both the handleblocking andhandle-freeing functions.

More particularly, the movable operating handle is intended to coactwith a pivoted stop plate and the head of the movable handle is formedwith a holding face, a rearwardly directed stop face adjacent theholding face and intended to participate in the handle-blockingfunction, and a forwardly directed abutting face spaced rearwardly alongthe head of the handle from the stop face and intended to coact with thepivoted stop plate for the purpose of removing this stop plate from thepath of the stop face on the head of the handle to thereby free themovable handle and enable the crimping jaws to be opened.

The invention will be more fully described in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial side elevation illustrating a preferred crimpingtool constructed in accordance with the invention, the tool being shownwith the operating handles in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the crimping tool shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective detailed view of the pivoted stop plate;

FIG. 6 is a perspective detailed view of the latching pawl;

FIGS. 3, 7 and 8 are similar to one another, FIGS. 7 and 8 beingpartially diagrammatic, and show the operation of the crimping tool ofthe invention in step-by-step fashion;

FIG. 3 shows the handle in closed position, this position correspondingto the fully closed crimping position of the crimping jaws;

FIG. 7 shows the operating handles in open position, corresponding tothe open or work-releasing position of the crimping jaws;

FIG. 8 shows the operating handles in partially closed position,corresponding to a position of the crimping jaws in which the work ispartly deformed and in which position the crimping jaws encircle thework and cannot be pulled away therefrom;

FIGS. 9, and 11 show the structure and operation of r 3,639,366 PatentedMay 14, less a modified crimping tool constructed in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a detailed elevation, in section, the cross section presentedin this figure corresponding to the cross section shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a partially diagrammatic cross section similar to FIG. 7showing the operating handles in open or work-releasing position; and

FIG. 11 is a partially diagrammatic cross section similar to FIG. 8showing the operating handles in partially closed position in which thework is partly crimped.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the crimping toolillustrated comprises a pair of substantially parallel side plates 10and 11 between which are mounted the crimping jaws which consist of flatjaw link members 12 and 13, having inwardly directed lower jaw portions12 and 13', these crimping jaw links are mounted for movement betweenthe side plates 10 and 11 in a plane parallel to the plane of the sideplates. The crimping jaw links 12 and 13 are pivoted to the side plates10 and 11 at a point intermediate the length thereof by means of pins 14and 15 which also carry a notcher 16. The term crimping jaw is alsoemployed to designate the combination of crimping jaw link and crimpingjaw per se.

The side plates 10 and 11 are secured together in parallel spacedrelation by means of bolts 17, 18 and 19 and coacting nuts 17, 18 and19'. The bolt 19 is positioned at the trailing end of the side plates 10and 11 and secures a block 20 between the side plates. A fixed handle 21is secured to the block 29.

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention shown in thedrawings employs a movable handle 2'2 mounted on a handle head 22' forpivotal movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the side plates andmeans linking the movable handle head with the crimping jaws whereby aforward movement of the handle 22 will close the jaws to a closedcrimping position and .an opposite movement of the handle 22 will openthe jaws to an open work-receiving position.

The head 22' for the movable operating handle 22 is pivoted to the upperforward end of the side plates 10 and 11 and is mounted for pivotalmovement about the pin 23. The forward end of the head 22. of themovable handle 22 is formed as a yoke to define a recess 24. Mountedwithin the recess 24 are the operating links 25 and 26 which are pivotedto the movable handle head 22' by means of pins 27 and 28 respectively.The operating link 25 is connected with the crimping jaw link 12 bymeans of the pivot pin 29 and the operating link 26 is connected to thecrimping jaw 13 by means of the pivot pin 30.

The fixed handle 21 provides leverage for operating the movable handle22 and may be eliminated when the crimping tool is fixed in position aspart of a sealing tool including the same in which event the tool bodyprovides the desired leverage.

When the movable handle '22 is pivoted to elevate the same, whichmovement is here termed an opposite movement, the pins 2 and 30 aremoved inwardly to pivot the crimping jaw links '12 and 13 therebyspreading or opening the crimping jaws 12' and 13. In this oppositemovement, the upper ends of the crimping jaw links =12 and 13 moveinwardly. When the movable handle 22 is moved in a forward direction tobring the movable handle 22 toward the fixed handle 21, the operatinglinks 25 and 26 are moved to force the pins 29 and 30 outwardly therebyclosing the crimping jaws 12' and 13 and causing the structure to assumethe position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

The head 22' of the movable handle is formed to define a holding face, astop face adjacent the holding face and abutting face spaced from thestop face.

aosasee More particularly, the underside of the forward end of themovable handle head 22' is formed to define a holding face 31, arearwardly facing stop face 32 adjacent to the holding face 31 and aforwardly facing abutting face 33 which is spaced rearwardly along thelength of the movable handle head 22' from the stop face 32. Thefunction of the holding face 31, the stop face 32 and the abutting face33 will be more fully described hereinafter.

The invention includes a stop plate positioned adjacent the portion ofthe movable handle which is formed with said holding face, stop face andabutting face and means are provided to bias the stop plate toward saidfaces of said movable handle.

Thus, the movable handle head 22 coacts in a manner to be more fullydescribed hereinafter with a pivoted stop plate 34 which is pivotedbetween the side plates 19 and 11 upon the pin 35, the stop plate 34being formed with a bushing 36 which surrounds the pin 35. A spring 37surrounds the bushing 36 and functions to provide a constant rotationalbias for the stop plate 34 in a clockwise direction toward the faces31-33 of the head 22 as indicated by arrow 38 (FIG. 3). The stop plate34 is formed with a laterally projecting pin 39.

The invention requires the presence of retaining means engageable withthe stop plate for retaining the stop plate out of engagement with themovable handle head whereby the movable handle is free for oppositemovement to open the crimping jaws. This retaining means is biased intoengagement with the stop plate. Means movable with the movable handleand coacting with the retaining means is employed to cause the retainingmeans to move and thereby release the stop plate when the movable handlenears the end of its opposite movement. This means for moving theretaining means also functions to release the retaining means when themovable handle is moved forwardly to close the crimping jaws. The stopplate includes means positioned in the path of the abutting face of themovable handle head when the movable handle is moved forwardly to itsfully closed position to fully close the crimping jaws, whereby the stopplate will be moved into position for engagement by the retaining meansas the forward movement of the movable handle is completed.

Thus, a latching pawl 40 is mounted for pivotal movement on the bolt 18and is rotationally biased as indicated by arrow 41 by means of spring42 in a clockwise direction toward the pin 39. The latching pawl 40 isformed with a rearwardly projecting arm 43 which coacts with the camface 44 on the crimping jaw link 13 for the purpose of moving thelatching pawl 40 to release the pin 39 for purposes to be described morefully hereinafter.

In FIG. the stop plate 34 is shown in perspective and is formed todefine a pin-receiving bore 45 and an upstanding shoulder 46 which ispositioned to be abutted by the abutting face 33 of the operating handle22.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 6, the latching pawl 40 is formed inthe shape of a saddle and defines at its lower portion a yoke 47defining a recess 48. The legs of the yoke 47 are bored as indicated at49 to pivotally receive the bolt 18. The recess 48 is suiliciently deepto receive the spring 42 which bears against the base of recess 48 torotationally bias the latching pawl 40 about the bolt 18. As previouslyindicated, the latching pawl 40 includes a rearwardly projecting arm 43.In the other or forward direction, the latching pawl 49 is formed with arearwardly facing hook 50, the hook 50 being adapted to engage the pin39 on the pivoted stop plate 34.

The block 20 is additionally secured by pin 51 to prevent rotationthereof and the block 20 is formed with an upstanding stop shoulder 52which functions to prevent the movable handle 22 from being pivotedagainst A the fixed handle 21 thereby facilitating grasping of thehandles during operation of the crimping tool.

The invention will be more fully understood from the description ofoperation which is presented in conjunction with the step-by-stepdrawings of FIGS. 3, 7 and 8.

As shown in FIG. 7, arrow A identifies the opposite or opening pivotalmovement of the operating handle 22 which functions to open the crimpingjaws 12' and 13'. This opposite or opening movement of handle 22 movesthe operating links 25 and 26 to pivot the crimping jaw links 12 and 13and thereby move the crimping jaws 12 and 13' outwardly as indicated bythe arrows B. As the operating handle 22 moves upwardly, the upper endof the crimping jaw 13 moves inwardly until the cam face 44 contacts thearm 43 of the latching pawl 40. Further elevation of the handle 22causes a further inward movement of the cam face 44 on the crimping jawlink 13 to pivot the latching pawl 40 in a counter-clockwise directionas indicated by arrow C to thereby cause the hook 50 to release the pin39. Hook 50 does not release pin 39 until the handle 22 is in itssubstantially fully elevated position so that, when the stop plate 34 isreleased, it will pivot in a clockwise direction by virtue of thepressure applied from spring 37 to move against the holding face 31 onthe forward end of the movable handle 22.

When the movable handle 22 is moved toward the handle 16 in a forwarddirection as indicated by arrow D, the operating links 25 and 26 aremoved outwardly and the crimping jaw links 12 and 13 are pivoted to movethe crimping jaws 12 and 13' inwardly as indicated by arrows E. Duringthis closing movement of handle 22, the stop plate 34 slides off theholding face 31 after the crimping jaws have closed about the work andthe stop plate 34 pivots against a cam surface 53 which separates thestop face 32 from the abutting face 33 on the head 22'. The cam surface53 prevents excessive clockwise movement of the stop plate 34 whichexcessive movement might disengage the hook 50 from the pin 39 whichwould destroy the setting of the mechanism. Thus, pin 39 is constantlyengaged by the flat surface adjacent the hook portion of the latchingpawl 49 whenever the pin 39 is not actually engaged by the hook 50.During the closing movement of the handle 22, the cam face 44 on thecrimping jaw link 13 moves away from the arm 43, the latching pawl 46being held in place by the aforesaid contact with the pin 39.

It will be particularly observed in FIG. 8 in which the operating handle22 is only partially closed, that the handle 22 cannot be oppositelymoved to open the crimping jaws 12 and 13' and thereby release the worksince, if such opposite movement of handle 22 is attempted, movement ofthe stop face 32 on the handle head 22' will be obstructed by the freeend of the stop plate 34.

Upon continued forward movement of the handle 22 in the directionindicated by the arrow D in FIG. 8, the crimping jaws 12 and 13' aremoved to their fully closed or crimping positon which is shown in FIG.3. As handle 22 nears its fully closed position, the abutting face 33 onthe handle head 22 engages the shoulder 46 on the stop plate 34 so thatthe act of closing the handle 22 causes the abutting face 33 to pivotthe stop plate 34 in a counter-clockwise direction thereby moving thepin 39 rearwardly with respect to the hook 5t) and into position to begrasped thereby, such grasping action of the hook 50 on the pin 39 beingautomatic by virtue of the clockwise biasing action of the spring 42 inthe direction indicated by arrow 41.

With the pin 39 safely grasped in the hook 50 of the latching pawl 40,the handle 22 is freed for opposite movement as indicated in FIG. 7whereby the crimping jaws 12 and 13 may be opened and the work released.

FIGS. 9 l0 and 11 illustrate a modified construction in accordance withthe invention and demonstrate that the holding face 31, the stop face 32and the abutting face 33 do not have to be configurated precisely asshown in FIGS. 2, 3, 7 and 8 and that the means for locking the pivotedstop plate 34 to release the movable handle is subject to considerablestructural variation.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 9 which shows the sealer in itsfully closed position with the movable handle released for jaw-openingmovement, the side plates are identified by numeral 60, these sideplates mounting crimping jaw links 61 and 62 which carry the crimpingjaws 63 and 64. The crimping jaw links are pivoted to the side plates bypins 65 and 66 which also carry a notcher 67. A block 63 is positionedat the trailing end of the side plates 61 and 62 and a fixed handle 69is secured to the block 68.

The numeral 70 designates a movable handle head pivoted to side plates69 at the upper forward end thereof by pin 71. The forward end of head79 defines a recess 72 within which are mounted the operating links 73and '74. These links are pivoted to the head 76 by pins 75 and 76.Operating link 73 is connected with crimping jaw link 61 by pivot pin 77and operating link 74 is connected to crimping jaw link 62 by pivot pin78.

The underside of the forward end of the movable handle head 79 is formedto define holding face 79, a rearwardly facing stop face St) (therearward direction is determined when the movable handle is inintermediate position) adjacent to the holding face 79 and a forwardlyfacing abutting face 81.

The movable handle '79 coacts with a pivoted stop plate 82 which isformed with a bushing 83 which surrounds pivot pin 84. Spring 85surrounds bushing '83 and bears against pin 86 which extends laterallyfrom stop plate 82 to provide a constant rotational bias for the stopplate 32 in a clockwise direction (note arrow 87).

A latching pawl 88 is pivotally mounted on pin 89 and is rotationallybiased as indicated by arrow 90 by means of spring 91 in acounter-clockwise direction so that the inner end or cocking surface 92thereof is posi tioned to engage with a forwardly facing sear surface ona downwardly directed locking finger 93 in the stop plate 82 to therebyprevent clockwise rotation of the stop plate.

The spring 91 surrounds pin 89 with one end thereof bearing againstledge 94 on latching pawl 88 and the other end bearing against a bolt 95which holds the side plates 60 together.

During the handle-opening movement identified by arrow A in FIG. 10, theupper end of crimping jaw link 61 moves inwardly to cause the inner camface 96 to contact the arm 97 of the latching pawl 88. Further openingpivotal movement of the movable handle causes the cam face 96 to movethe arm 97 to rotate the latching pawl 88 in a clockwise direction asindicated by arrow C. At the same time, the crimping jaws 63 and 64 areopening as indicated by arrow B. The rotation of the latching pawl 88,as indicated by arrow C lowers the end 92 until the finger 93 isdisengaged thereby releasing the stop plate 82 so that the movablehandle may be moved to its substantially fully elevated position. Thereleased stop plate 82 then rotates until it engages the holding face 79on the handle head 76 and finger 93 moves over the end 92 of thelatching pawl 88 to keep the pawl 88 in an unlocked position.

When the movable handle is lowered toward the fixed handle 69 asindicated by arrow D in FIG. 11, crimping jaw links 61 and 62 arepivoted to close the crimping jaws 63 and 64 as indicated by arrows E.During this closing movement, the stop plate 82 slides off the holdingface 79 after the crimping jaws have partially closed about the work,and it pivots against a cam surface 98 which separates stop face 89 fromthe abutting face 81. The cam surface 98 prevents excessive clockwiserotation of stop plate 82 so that the upwardly projecting shoulder 99 onthe stop plate 82 is not moved out of the path of the abutting face 81.

It will be seen by reference to FIG. 11 in which the movable handle isonly partially closed that an opposite movement of the movable handle toopen the crimping jaws 63 and 64 to release the work is prevented by theobstruction provided by the free end 100 of the stop plate 82 withrespect to a rearward movement of stop face 89. That is, if it isattempted to reopen the jaws 63 and 64 after they have reached apartially closed position as shown in FIG. 11, the free end 100 of stopplate 32 will abut the face on the handle head 70 and prevent opening oropposite movement of the movable handle. 7

As the movable handle head 70 nears its fully closed or crimpingposition shown in FIG. 9, the abutting face 81 engages shoulder 99 onthe stop plate 82 to pivot the stop plate in a counter-clockwisedirection to move the finger 93 out of the path of the end 92 oflatching pawl 88. The latching pawl then pivots to interpose the end 92in the path of finger 93 thereby holding the free end 196 of stop plate82 clear of the stop face 80 to release the movable handle for oppositemovement as indicated in FIG. 10 (arrow A) whereby the crimping jaws 63and 64 may be opened and the work released.

It will be understood that the specific structures which have beenillustrated and described constitute preferred constructions inaccordance with the invention and that many variations in specificstructure can be made without departing from the present invention.Thus, instead of having the latching pawl which engages the stop plateand prevents the same from moving into a position which blocks movementof the movable handle 22 operated as shown using a projecting arm whichcoacts with a cam surface on the inner upper extremity of a crimping jawlink, the means for pivoting the latching pawl in a direction oppositeto its normal rotational bias may be secured to one of the operatinglinks for movement thereby. The important factor is to have a latchingpawl which is biased into engagement with the stop plate or some membercarried thereby and which prevents the stop plate from moving intoblocking position until some member which is movable with the movablehandle is brought into place as the movable handle nears the end of itsopposite or jaw opening movement for the purpose of moving the latchingpawl to cause the same to release the stop plate.

The invention is defined in the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. A crimping tool comprising a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, said crimpingjaws being pivoted at a point intermediate their length to said sideplates, a movable handle pivotally secured between said side plates atthe upper forward end thereof for pivotal movement with respect to saidside plates, means linking said movable handle with said crimping jawswhereby forward movement of said handle will close said jaws andopposite movement of said handle will open said jaws, said movablehandle being formed on its underside and along a portion of its lengthadjacent its pivot end to define a holding face and a rearwardly facingstop face adjacent to said holding face and a forwardly facing abuttingface spaced rearwardly from said stopface, said stop face being spacedfrom said abutting face by a downwardly projecting cam face, a pivotallymounted stop plate positioned between said side plates to engage saidformed portion of said handle spring means biasing said stop plate topivot the same toward said faces of said movable handle, said stop platehaving an outwardly extending shoulder positioned in the path ofmovement of said abutting face when said handle is moved forwardly toits fully closed position to fully close said crimping jaws and alaterally projecting pin, retaining means pivotally connected to saidside plates and comprising a flat plate with a hook-shaped portionthereon engageable with said laterally projecting pin of said stop platefor retaining said stop plate out of engagement with said movable handlewhereby said handle is free for opposite movement to open said crimpingjaws, spring means biasing said retaining means to pivot said hookshapedportion into engagement with said pin, said retaining means furtherincluding a rearwardly projecting arm positioned in the path of movementof the upper inner end of one of said crimping jaws to cause saidretaining means to pivot and thereby release said stop plate when saidhandle nears the end of its opposite movement and said outwardlyextending shoulder on said stop plate being pivoted by said abuttingface on said movable handle into position for engagement of itslaterally projecting pin with said hook of said retaining means as saidforward movement of said handle is completed.

2. A crimping tool comprising a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, said crimpingjaws eing pivoted at a point intermediate their length to said sideplates, a movable handle pivotally secured between said side plates atthe upper forward end thereof for pivotal movement with respect to saidside plates, means linking said movable handle with said crimping jawswhereby forward movement of said handle will close said jaws andopposite movement of said handle will open said jaws, said movablehandle being formed on its underside and along a portion of its lengthadjacent its pivot end to define a holding face and a rearwardly facingstop face adjacent said holding face and a forwardly facing abuttingface spaced rearwardly from said stop face, said stop face being spacedfrom said abutting face by a downwardly projecting cam face, a pivotallymounted stop plate positioned between said side plates to engage saidformed portion of said handle, spring means biasing said stop plate topivot the same toward said faces of said movable handle, said stop platehaving an outwardly extending shoulder positioned in the path ofmovement of said abutting face when said handle is moved forwardly toits fully closed position to fully close sald crimping jaws and adownwardly projecting locking finger, with a forwardly facing searsurface retaining means pivotally connected to said side plates andcomprising a pivoted latching pawl having a rearwardly facing cockingsurface for retaining said stop plate out of engagement with saidmovable handle whereby said handle is free for opposite movement to opensaid crimping aws, spring means biasing said retaining means to pivotsaid coclting surface into engagement with said sear surface, saidretaining means further including a forwardly pro ecting arm positionedin the path of movement of the upper inner end of one of said crimpingjaws to cause said retaining means to pivot and thereby release saidsear surface of said stop plate from said cocking surface of saidretaining means when said handle nears the end of its opposite movementand said outward extending shoulder on said stop plate being pivoted bysaid abutting face on said movable handle into position for engagementof its sear surface with said cocking surface of said retaining means assaid forward movement of said handle is completed.

3. A crimping tool including a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, said crimpingjaws comprising a pair of fiat jaw link members which are pivotedsubstantially at their midsection to said side plates and have inwardlydirected lower jaw portions which act as the crimping portions of saidjaws, a movable handle mounted for pivotal movement with respect to saidside plates, means linking said movable handle with said crimping jawswhereby forward movement of said handle will close said jaws and withopposite movement of said handle will open said jaws, movable meansoperated by and connected to said movable handle and formed to define aholding face and a stop face adjacent to said holding face and anabutting face spaced from said stop face, a pivotally mounted stop platepositioned to engage said movable means, means constantly biasing saidstop means toward said faces of said movable means, retaining meansengagcable with said stop plate for retaining said stop plate out ofengagement with said movable means whereby said handle is free foropposite movement to open said crimping jaws, said retaining means beingbiased into engagcment with said stop plate, means movable with saidhandle and coacting with said retaining means to move said retainingmeans to release said stop plate when said handle nears the end of itsopposite movement and to release said retaining means when said handleis moved forwardly to close said crimping jaws comprising a cam surfaceon the upper inner end of one of said flat jaw link members, said stopplate including means positioned in the path of said abutting face whensaid handle is moved forwardly to its fully closed position to fullyclose said crimping jaws whereby said stop plate will be moved intoposition for engagement by said retaining means as said forward movementof said handle is completed.

4. A crimping tool comprising a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, a movable handlemounted for pivotal movement with respect to said side plates, meanslinking said movable handle with said crimping jaws whereby a forwardmovement of said handle will close said jaws and an opposite movement ofsaid handie will open said jaws, movable means operated by and connectedto said movable handle and formed to define a holding face and a stopface adjacent to said holding face and an abutting face spaced from saidstop face, a pivotally mounted stop plate positioned to engage saidmovable means comprising a laterally projecting pin, means constantlybiasing said step plate toward said faces of said movable means,retaining means for retaining said stop plate out of engagement withsaid movable means comprising a flat plate with a hook-shaped portionthereon, which flat plate is spring-biased toward said stop plate andmovable into and out of book engaging position with the laterallyprojecting pin of said stop plate for cocking said stop plate out ofengagement with said movable means, means movable with said handle andcoacting with said retaining means to cause said retaining means torelease said stop plate when said handle nears the end of its oppositemovement, and to release said retaining means when said handle is movedforwardly to close said crimping jaws, said stop plate including meanspositioned in the path of said abutting face when said handle is movedforwardly to its fully closed position to fully close said crimping jawswhereby said stop plate will be moved into position for engagement withsaid retaining means as said forward movement of said handle iscompleted.

5. A crimping tool comprising a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, a movable handlemounted for pivotal movement with respect to said side plates, meanslinking said movable handle with said crimping jaws whereby a forwardmovement of said handle will close said jaws and an opposite movement ofsaid handle will open said jaws, movable means operated by and connectedto said movable handle and formed to define a holding face and a stopface adjacent to said holding face and an aosasee abutting face spacedfrom said stop face, a pivotally mounted stop plate positioned to engagesaid movable means comprising a laterally projecting pin, meansconstantly biasing said step plate toward said faces of said movablemeans, retaining means for retaining said stop plate out of engagementwith said movable means comprising a flat plate with a hook-shapedportion thereon, which flat plate is spring-biased toward said stepplate and movable into and out of hook engaging position with thelaterally projecting pin of said stop plate for cocking said stop plateout of engagement with said movable means, said retaining means furtherincluding a rearwardly projecting arm positioned in the path of movementof the upper inner end of one of said crimping jaws, which jaw coactswith said rearwardly projecting arm to cause said retaining means torelease said stop plate when said handle nears the end of its oppositemovement, and to release said retaining means when said handle is movedforwardly to close said crimping jaws, said stop plate including meanspositioned in the path of said abutting face when said han- (lle ismoved forwardly to its fully closed position to fully close saidcrimping jaws whereby said stop plate will be moved into position forengagement with said retaining means as said forward movement of saidhandle is completed.

6. A crimping tool comprising a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, a movable handlemounted for pivotal movement with respect to said side plates, meanslinking said movable handle with said crimping jaws whereby a forwardmovement of said handle will close said jaws and an opposite movement ofsaid handle will open said jaws, movable means operated by and connectedto said movable handle and formed to define a holding face and a stopface adjacent to said holding face and an abutting face spaced from saidstop face, a pivotally mounted stop plate having a forwardly-facing searsurface on a downwardly projecting locking finger positioned to engagesaid movable means, means constantly biasing said stop plate toward saidfaces of said movable means, retaining means comprising a pivotedlatching pawl having a rearwardlyfacing cocking surface normallyspring-biased into engagement with said sear surface for retaining saidstop plate out of engagement with said movable mean-s whereby saidhandle is free for opposite movement to open said crimping jaws, meansmovable with said handle and coacting with said retaining means to causesaid retaining means to release said stop plate when said handle nearsthe end of its opposite movement, and to release said retaining meanswhen said handle is moved forwardly to close said crimping ja-ws, saidstop plate including means positioned in the path of said abutting facewhen said handle is moved forwardly to its fully closed position tofully close said crimp-ing jaws whereby said stop plate will be movedinto position for engagement with said retaining means as said forwardmovement of said handle is completed.

7. A crimping tool comprising a pair of substantially parallel sideplates, a pair of crimping jaws positioned between said side plates andmovable in a plane parallel to said side plates between an openwork-receiving position and a closed crimping position, a movable handlemounted for pivotal movement with respect to said side plates, meanslinking said movable handle .with said crimping jaws whereby a forwardmovement of said handle will close said jaws and an opposite movement ofsaid handle will open said jaws, movable means operated by and connectedto said movable handle and formed to define a holding face and a stopface adjacent to said holding face and an abutting face spaced from saidstop face, a pivotally mounted stop plate having a forwardlyfacing searsurface on a downwardly projecting locking finger positioned to engagesaid movable means, means constantly Ibiasing said stop plate towardsaid faces of said movable means, retaining means comprising a pivotedlatching pawl having a forwardly projecting arm positioned in the pathof movement of the upper inner end of one of said crimping jaws and arearwandly-facing cocking surface normally spring-biased into engagementwith said sear surface for retaining said stop plate out of engagementwith said movable means whereby said handle is free for oppositemovement to open said crimping jaws, said one of said crimping jawscoacting with said forwardly projecting arm to cause said retainingmeans to release said stop plate when said handle nears the end of itsopposite movement, and to release said retaining means when said handleis moved forwardly to close said crimping jaws, said stop plateincluding means positioned in the path of said abutting face when saidhandle is moved forwardly to its fully closed position to fully closesaid crimping jaws whereby said stop plate will be moved into positionfor engagement with said retaining means as said forward movement ofsaid handle is completed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS782,150 Long Feb. 7, 1905 2,696,747 Bergan Dec. 14, 1954 2,831,380Falck-Pedersen Apr. 22, 1956 2,855,813 Hepler Oct. 14, 1958 2,974,551Powell Mar. 14, 1961,

7. A CRIMPING TOOL COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SIDEPLATES, A PAIR OF CRIMPING JAWS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SIDE PLATES ANDMOVABLE IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID SIDE PLATES BETWEEN AN OPENWORK-RECEIVING POSITION AND TO A CLOSED CRIMPING POSITION, A MOVABLEHANDLE MOUNTED FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID SIDE PLATES,MEANS LINKING SAID MOVABLE HANDLE WITH SAID CRIMPING JAWS WHEREBY AFORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE WILL CLOSE SAID JAWS AND AN OPPOSITEMOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE WILL OPEN SAID JAWS, MOVABLE MEANS OPERATED BYAND CONNECTED TO SAID MOVABLE HANDLE AND FORMED TO DEFINE A HOLDING FACEAND A STOP FACE ADJACENT TO SAID HOLDING FACE AND AN ABUTTING FACESPACED FROM SAID STOP FACE, A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED STOP PLATE HAVING AFORWARDLYFACING SEAR SURFACE ON A DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING LOCKING FINGERPOSITIONED TO ENGAGE SAID MOVABLE MEANS, MEANS CONSTANTLY BIASING SAIDSTOP PLATE TOWARD SAID FACES OF SAID MOVABLE MEANS, RETAINING MEANSCOMPRISING A PIVOTED LATCHING PAWL HAVING A FORWARDLY PROJECTING ARMPOSITIONED IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER INNER END OF ONE OF SAIDCRIMPING JAWS AND A REARWARDLY-FACING COCKING SURFACE NORMALLYSPRING-BIASED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID REAR SURFACE FOR RETAINING SAIDSTOP PLATE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID MOVABLE MEANS WHEREBY SAID HANDLEIS FREE FOR OPPOSITE MOVEMENT TO OPEN SAID CRIMPING JAWS, SAID ONE OFSAID CRIMPING JAWS COACTING WITH SAID FORWARDLY PROJECTING ARM TO CAUSESAID RETAINING MEANS TO RELEASE SAID STOP PLATE WHEN SAID HANDLE NEARSTHE END OF ITS OPPOSITE MOVEMENT, AND TO RELEASE SAID RETAINING MEANSWHEN SAID HANDLE IS MOVED FORWARDLY TO CLOSE SAID CRIMPING JAWS, SAIDSTOP PLATE INCLUDING MEANS POSITIONED IN THE PATH OF SAID ABUTTING FACEWHEN SAID HANDLE IS MOVED FORWARDLY TO ITS FULLY CLOSED POSITION TOFULLY CLOSE SAID CRIMPING JAWS WHEREBY SAID STOP PLATE WILL BE MOVEDINTO POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RETAINING MEANS AS SAID FORWARDMOVEMENT OF SAID HANDLE IS COMPLETED.